Say WOW

Suborbital space tourism finally arrives | FCC prepares to run public C-band auction | The big four in the U.S. launch industry — United Launch Alliance, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Northrop Grumman — hope to be one of two providers that will receive five-year contracts later this year to launch national security payloads starting in 2022. | China’s launch rate stays high | The International Space Station is the largest ever crewed object in space.

Tateishi Burger Vending Machine in Tokyo, Japan

Since it first opened in 2000, Tateishi Burger has been a favorite of those who enjoy oddities, which are known in Japan as “B-spots.” Located in a quiet neighborhood, its raggedy façade may not lure in a lot of passersby, but it never ceases to attract said B-spot enthusiasts from around the country. Founded by Toshiharu Hamano, Tateishi Burger is an old-fashioned, eat-in bakery with a small variety of low-priced burgers and sandwiches. But what makes it really stand out is……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

What Is Killing Albatross Chicks in the...

Few humans live in the Falkland Islands, an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean off the southern coast of Argentina. But there is a lot of wildlife, especially seabirds, including the largest breeding population of black-browed albatrosses in the world. Considered endangered as recently as 2013, the numbers of these big migrators have since rebounded, and the species is currently listed under the lowest level of threat by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. These days, around 500,000 pairs……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Podcast: President Heads

Listen and subscribe on Stitcher, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and all major podcast apps. In this episode of The Atlas Obscura Podcast, we visit a field in Virginia where giant busts of U.S. presidents are slowly crumbling away. Our podcast is an audio guide to the world’s wondrous, awe-inspiring, strange places. In under 15 minutes, we’ll take you to an incredible site, and along the way you’ll meet some fascinating people and hear their stories. Join us daily, Monday through……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Counting pedestrians to make pedestrians count

A key portion of MIT’s campus overlaps with Kendall Square, the bustling area in East Cambridge where students, residents, and tech employees scurry around in between classes, meetings, and meals. Where are they all going? Is there a way to make sense of this daily flurry of foot traffic? In fact, there is: MIT Associate Professor Andres Sevtsuk has made Kendall Square the basis of a newly published model of pedestrian movement that could help planners and developers better……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Fulmer 1st win since 2018, Tigers sweep...

HOUSTON (AP) — Michael Fulmer earned his first win since 2018 and the Detroit Tigers built a big lead before holding off the short-handed Houston Astros 6-4 Wednesday night for a three-game sweep. Outscored 14-4 in losing the first two games with a full roster, the Astros went into the wrapup after putting five players, including stars José Altuve, Alex Bregman and Yordan Álvarez, on the COVID-19 injured list. Jeimer Candelario had three hits and two RBIs for Tigers,…

Read More

Daily Crunch: Coinbase goes public

Coinbase makes an impressive public debut, Dell spins out VMware and Ford announces a new hands-free driving system. This is your Daily Crunch for April 14, 2021. The big story: Coinbase goes public Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase went public today via direct listing at an opening price of $381 per share, climbing to nearly $430 before closing at $328.28 (giving the company a market capitalization of $85.8 billion). The listing is a major milestone for the cryptocurrency world (with various……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

How Soviet Children's Books Became Collectors' Items...

When he was about nine or 10 years old, Devadatta Rajadhyaksha read the book The Adventures of Dennis, by Victor Dragunsky. Rajadhyaksha was mesmerized by naughty little Dennis, who kept grass snakes, lizards, and frogs in his pockets, made funny faces in front of the mirror, and liked to hop and skip. The book was originally written in Russian, but Rajadhyaksha read the book in his mother tongue, Marathi, as Dennis Chya Goshti. Rajadhyaksha is now in his forties,……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

An on-off switch for gene editing

Over the past decade, the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system has revolutionized genetic engineering, allowing scientists to make targeted changes to organisms’ DNA. While the system could potentially be useful in treating a variety of diseases, CRISPR-Cas9 editing involves cutting DNA strands, leading to permanent changes to the cell’s genetic material.  Now, in a paper published online in Cell on April 9, researchers describe a new gene editing technology called CRISPRoff that allows researchers to control gene expression with high……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Professor Emeritus Ernest Cravalho, an expert in...

Ernest “Ernie” Cravalho, professor emeritus of mechanical engineering at MIT, passed away on Tuesday, April 13, at the age of 82. Cravalho served as a member of MIT’s mechanical engineering faculty for 44 years. Along with his many research contributions in the fields of thermodynamics, heat transfer, and bioengineering, Cravalho helped shape MIT’s thermodynamics education into what it is today. Born in San Mateo, California, in 1939, Cravalho earned his bachelor’s degree, master’s degree, and PhD in mechanical engineering……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Why Two Rivers Meet But Don't Mix...

Like partners doing a tango, two rivers in Nunavut, Canada, become a single unit without losing their individual appearance as they move sinuously across the tundra. The darker Back River flows north toward the Arctic Ocean. Along the way, its tributary, the Hayes River, a light, milky blue, joins it but remains visually distinct for about 10 miles beyond the confluence. Only when the merged rivers enter their final destination of Chantrey Inlet do the waters begin to blend…….

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Nave de Motores de Pacífico (Pacifico Engine...

The Nave de Motores de Pacífico (Pacifico Engine Shed) was designed by the Spanish architect Antonio Palacios. It is an outstanding example of clarity and functionality, and a perfect model of industrial building in the 1920s. The engine shed was built in 1922 and 1923 and started operating immediately, although it was not inaugurated until 1924. Inside are three impressive diesel engines, machinery (alternators, transformers, and the like), as well as other furniture. At that time, these engines were……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Coinbase opens at $381 per share, valuing...

Today shares of Coinbase began to trade after the company executed a direct listing. From a reference price of $250, Coinbase shares opened at $381 today, a change of around 52%. At its open Coinbase was valued at $99.6 billion on a fully diluted basis. As of the time of writing Coinbase has appreciated further to just over $400 per share, valuing the company at a touch more than $104 billion. Coinbase was worth $65.3 billion at its reference……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Zeta in talks with SoftBank to raise...

Banking tech startup Zeta is inching closer to the much sought-after unicorn status as it engages with investors to finalize a new round, two sources familiar with the matter told TechCrunch. SoftBank Vision Fund 2 is in advanced stages of talks to lead a ~$250 million Series D round in the five-year-old startup, the sources said. The investment proposal values the Indian startup, co-founded by high-profile entrepreneur Bhavin Turakhia, at over $1 billion, up from $300 million in its……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Zinc Smelter in Spelter, West Virginia

The word Spelter means commercial or smelted zinc. Beginning in 1910, workers from Spain were brought to this company town in West Virginia to operate a new zinc smelter. Over the next 90 years, some four billion pounds of slab zinc were produced, along with 400 million pounds of zinc dust. Zinc ore was in high demand during World War I and fetched up to $112 per ton according to an August 1915 article in the New York Times…….

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More

Moorten Botanical Garden and Cactarium in Palm...

The Moorten Family Botanical Gardens was created to share the beauty and extraordinary varieties of desert plants with everyone who visits. It was established in 1938 by Chester “Cactus Slim” Moorten and his wife, Patricia, and features desert trees, plants, and cacti come from around the world and range in size from miniature to giants. Before he was a cactus curator, Moorten was an actor. He was one of the original “Keystone Cops,” actors who played incompetent policemen in a……

This content is for Member members only.
Log In Register

Read More